Nutritional characteristics and sensory evaluation of tapioca supplemented with fermented and germinated Moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed flour

The present study evaluated the nutritional characteristics of Tapioca- a partially gelatinized starch grit made from cassava supplemented with fermented and germinated moringa seed flour. The proximate composition, mineral, vitamin, amino acid profile, functional properties and sensory attributes of the tapioca-moringa flour blends were determined. It was observed that the protein content of the flour blends increased from 2.85% − 11.05%, fat (2.42% − 8.08%) while there was reduction in carbohydrate content (82.66% − 64.90%). Calcium (6.24 mg/100 g  − 8.26 mg/100 g) was the predominant mineral while copper (0.05 mg/100 g − 0.11 mg/100 g ) was the least. There was increase in vitamin A content (0.35 mg/100 g  − 9.41 mg/100 g ) and vitamin C content (0.46 mg/100 g  − 12.00 mg/100 g ) on supplementation of fermented and germinated moringa seed flour to tapioca flour. Total essential amino acid of the flour blends ranged from 14.15 mg/100 g  − 30.42 mg/100 g . Sensory results showed that the gruel made from tapioca-moringa seed flour were scored above average for overall acceptability. Findings from this study showed that tapioca-moringa blends contain appreciable amount of protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and amino acids and thus the flour blends could serve to alleviate malnutrition in developing countries.